@gettinggopheryA running list of things to fix downtown Minneapolis:
1. Put a giant REI in the lobby of an underutilized office building. Put in multistory windows. Put in a huge climbing column, several stories tall, visible from the street. Make sure REI, at least the climbing part, is open from 10 am to 10pm everyday.
2. Mandate that every parking ramp or lot convert a certain number of car parking spots into secure bike parking. You can't have a bike friendly city when bike theft is both easy and consequence -free.
3. Double skyway property taxes, halve street level property taxes.
4. Stop validating parking. Start validating transit. (Easiest way to do this would be to automatically discount bus and train fares from purchases).
5. Make LRT trains longer. Sure there are weirdos on trains that no one wants to be around. Have we tried trains that have enough cars so you don't have to be around them?
6. Seating for 100 people per block on Nicollet Mall. Sure homeless people might take a seat or two, but there would be lots more seating for everyone else.
7. Build 50,000 housing units.
8. Ban cars on 5th street and plant trees instead. 5th and Nicollet could be the best intersection in the city instead of whatever this is.
9. More immigrant owned businesses. Downtown is the whitest part of town and also the emptiest.
9. (continued) sure it is the world cup, but Boludo is packed. Brits is packed. The "American" businesses are empty. More diverse businesses bring more diverse crowds downtown at more diverse times.
9. (Cont).
10. Peavey Plaza skating rink
11. Peavey Plaza coffee kiosk and food trucks everyday